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School students discussion/enquiries

Stuart

Administrator
Emeritus Staff
Whats your understanding of biomed at Auckland Uni? In that case would you recommend English over Eco?

Hi,

The first year course provides a good level playing field. You won't inherently gain advantage over other applicants for choosing English or Economics. It won't have any significant affect on you.

I highly recommend taking a subject that you like/want to explore. After all, the course is a science course, reasonable literacy skills are sufficient enough.

For Auckland, make sure you do both the table A and B subjects to meet the requirements.
 
Hi,

The first year course provides a good level playing field. You won't inherently gain advantage over other applicants for choosing English or Economics. It won't have any significant affect on you.

I highly recommend taking a subject that you like/want to explore. After all, the course is a science course, reasonable literacy skills are sufficient enough.

For Auckland, make sure you do both the table A and B subjects to meet the requirements.
@kokenz Agreed with Stuart. I'm still in year 13, so I don't know what Biomed is like, but choosing English or Economics won't advantage you at all because like Stuart said, biomed is a science course.
However, if you want to take the BHSc pathway to gain entry into medicine, it might be slightly better to choose English over Economics.
If you want, go check out studentcoursereview.com and search the biomed core and non core papers, as well as the health science core and non core papers to get an idea of what students think of them.
 

Kiwiology

MSO Lawyer
Whats your understanding of biomed at Auckland Uni? In that case would you recommend English over Eco?

I would recommend taking English. The best possible level of English comprehension is a great asset not only for uni/med but just life in general. Regardless of whether you do BSc (Biomedical Science) or BHSc, POP 111 relies a bit on good English comprehension, especially for the presentation, and your general education paper will likely require at least one written assignment and possibly some SAQ/LAQ in the exam.

As Blueglacier pointed out; the BHSc has significant need for a good ability with English; in total this year there are six formal written assignments (2 x POP101, 2 x POP102, 1 x HP122, 1 x POL107G) plus 101 and 102 have a 30 mark long answer question in the exam.
 

Quacks

MBChB VI
Whats your understanding of biomed at Auckland Uni? In that case would you recommend English over Eco?
Also, if you take English in year 13 it opens up the door to apply to medical schools in Australia as all of the Australian med school except those in SA require english as a prerequisite.

Just speaking from experience, I wish I had've taken English last year instead of Calc + Stats. It would've opened up so many more doors and I probably wouldn't be here doing hell-sci right now. My ATAR was 99.45 but because I didn't take English in year 13 it mean't that the only Aus unis I could apply to were University of Adelaide and Flinders...
 

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Also, if you take English in year 13 it opens up the door to apply to medical schools in Australia as all of the Australian med school except those in SA require english as a prerequisite.

Just speaking from experience, I wish I had've taken English last year instead of Calc + Stats. It would've opened up so many more doors and I probably wouldn't be here doing hell-sci right now. My ATAR was 99.45 but because I didn't take English in year 13 it mean't that the only Aus unis I could apply to were University of Adelaide and Flinders...

This is not quite true. There are a number of other Australian universities that don't have English as a prerequisite, including UMelb (Chancellor's program), USyd (provisional entry), JMP, UWS, as well as the South Australian ones you indicated. English would obviously open a lot of other doors, but not having it doesn't close them all.

ETA: I'm not sure why you were under the impression you could only apply to UofA and Flinders. At the very least, JMP and UWS would have been viable options (I know less about other entry requirements for UMelb and USyd, but it doesn't appear it would have been your lack of English that was the issue if you couldn't apply to them). This table makes the situation clear for those wanting more information: [Undergrad] - 2017-18 Med schools Selection Criteria Y12s & Non-standards
 
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Also, if you take English in year 13 it opens up the door to apply to medical schools in Australia as all of the Australian med school except those in SA require english as a prerequisite.

Just speaking from experience, I wish I had've taken English last year instead of Calc + Stats. It would've opened up so many more doors and I probably wouldn't be here doing hell-sci right now. My ATAR was 99.45 but because I didn't take English in year 13 it mean't that the only Aus unis I could apply to were University of Adelaide and Flinders...
Is there any point to go in going to Australian universities to study Medicine as a New Zealander now? You have to pay full fees and I assume that means international student fees which are way more expensive than the fees for domestic students and you're not guaranteed a job after you gradate because they give priority to Australian students? I think? (dunno if this is correct, just information floating around MSO)
 

Stuart

Administrator
Emeritus Staff
Hi,

I agree with the some of the points brought up by Kiwiology and Quacks. However, unless you are looking at overseas schools and/or your English literacy skills are below the average, I still believe that there is no significant advantages/need to take Y13 English.

Which achievement standards are you/will you be taking for English, kokesnz?

- edit -
In case anyone is not clear, when LMG!' said "UofA", she means the University of of Adelaide, not the University of Auckland. I sometimes see people getting confused between those two.
 

Quacks

MBChB VI
Is there any point to go in going to Australian universities to study Medicine as a New Zealander now? You have to pay full fees and I assume that means international student fees which are way more expensive than the fees for domestic students and you're not guaranteed a job after you gradate because they give priority to Australian students? I think? (dunno if this is correct, just information floating around MSO)
NZers pay domestic fees, not international.

The only real downside is not being able to get HECS, so you'd have to fund your med degree privately/through family, etc.

As for not getting a job upon graduation, yes it's probably true you'll be prioritised below Australian citizens, but I'd imagine your chances are still relatively high compared to many other career pathways out there lol

The general consensus on MSO is that you should only do med in your home country, but the reality is a vast number of year 13s from NZ go to Australia to study med. Personally I know quite a few people who have done this, and if it wasn't for my parents not wanting me to go overseas I would've been one of them too haha.

EDIT: I also know a number of people doing the opposite; Australians who are doing hsfy. It all just depends on your financial situation I guess
 
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Quacks

MBChB VI
Hi,

I agree with the some of the points brought up by Kiwiology and Quacks. However, unless you are looking at overseas schools and/or your English literacy skills are below the average, I still believe that there is no significant advantages/need to take Y13 English.

Which achievement standards are you/will you be taking for English, kokesnz?

- edit -
In case anyone is not clear, when LMG!' said "UofA", she means the University of of Adelaide, not the University of Auckland. I sometimes see people getting confused between those two.

I think level 3 English is useless too, but what kokesnz was asking was whether eco or English would be the better option. English opens up more doors in terms of prerequisites, while eco would pose no benefit unless you took an 8th paper in economics during hsfy
 

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Stuart

Administrator
Emeritus Staff
I think level 3 English is useless too, but what kokesnz was asking was whether eco or English would be the better option. English opens up more doors in terms of prerequisites, while eco would pose no benefit unless you took an 8th paper in economics during hsfy

Hi Quacks,

Yeah, I agree with you that it can open up a few more doors overseas. I am unsure what kokesnz's intentions are but if we restrict our scope to NZ alone, I don't see much superiority of Y13 English. I think you would agree with that.

I also agree that economics have little relevance in terms of specific topics but I am sure one will learn valuable lessons through studying it. It's not going be a complete waste of time, in my opinion.

Lastly, I think someone here said that doing six NCEA subjects in Y13 is "crazy". I think it's not crazy. It's not a bad idea if you are keen to do it. I went to a school where you are expected to take five subjects but I took six (with the approval from the school) because I wanted to explore and such. I have no regret about that. It was totally worth it. I probably wouldn't be doing what I am doing if I hadn't done so. I think some schools do four subjects. So, it doesn't really matter what you do. If you want to study more, go for it.

- edit -

By the way, it's good to have you back around here, Quacks. I hope the semester is going well for you. Good luck for the rest of the year.
 

hynz

Lurker
Physics for First Year BHSc @ Auckland?

Hi!

I’m a year 11 student currently looking at my options for next year, with the ambition of doing first year Health Science at Auckland, and then (hopefully) Medicine. I'm looking at Health Science for my first year as I think that I'm stronger in more Englishy subjects, compared to Sciencey stuff, and because the psychology- and society-related topics in the BHSc papers look really interesting.

Anyways, I’ve decided on English, Maths, Bio, Chem and Economics at the moment, and am contemplating as to whether I should take History or Physics as my 6th subject. I’m leaning towards history atm because I think it would be nice to take another English-rich subject, due to the essay writing components of the Population Health papers, and because I think it would be really interesting. However, I’m concerned as to whether not taking Physics would affect my progress in the course - as far as I know, unlike first year BioMed, there doesn’t appear to be much Physics at all in any of the first year BHSc papers - is this true, or would Physics be useful? Also, would not taking Physics be a hindrance for medicine if I get in?

Thanks in advance for your help :)
 
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Rob

House Officer
Emeritus Staff
Physics for First Year BHSc @ Auckland?

Hi!

I’m a year 11 student currently looking at my options for next year, with the ambition of doing first year Health Science at Auckland, and then (hopefully) Medicine. I'm looking at Health Science for my first year as I think that I'm stronger in more Englishy subjects, compared to Sciencey stuff, and because the psychology- and society-related topics in the BHSc papers look really interesting.

Anyways, I’ve decided on English, Maths, Bio, Chem and Economics at the moment, and am contemplating as to whether I should take History or Physics as my 6th subject. I’m leaning towards history atm because I think it would be nice to take another English-rich subject, due to the essay writing components of the Population Health papers, and because I think it would be really interesting. However, I’m concerned as to whether not taking Physics would affect my progress in the course - as far as I know, unlike first year BioMed, there doesn’t appear to be much Physics at all in any of the first year BHSc papers - is this true, or would Physics be useful? Also, would not taking Physics be a hindrance for medicine if I get in?

Thanks in advance for your help :)

Hi! Welcome to MSO :)

I would say that physics is not at all necessary - especially if you aren't doing Biomed. A lot of physics concepts do come into the physiology in the biology papers and in medicine, but these concepts are always explained well enough that you do not need a physics background to be able to learn them. If you like the idea of doing history instead of physics then go for it, as it won't really do anything to hurt your chances of getting into medicine.
 
Hey there! :)

I'm yr13 right now, and I'm wondering exactly what kind of student usually gets in to medicine?
I know it's extremely competitive, however does it require a lot of smart thinking (e.g calculus) or just memorisation (e.g biology)?
What are the key attributes which would make you the ideal student and most likely get in?

If you don't do so well in high school (e.g merit endorsement etc) do you still have a good chance of getting in? or is literally all top achiever scholars and excellence endorsers? Do you think people who get merits and achieves have a shot of getting in (e.g work really hard? or is it too late?

Sorry for the long list of questions!
 

hynz

Lurker
Hi! Welcome to MSO :)

I would say that physics is not at all necessary - especially if you aren't doing Biomed. A lot of physics concepts do come into the physiology in the biology papers and in medicine, but these concepts are always explained well enough that you do not need a physics background to be able to learn them. If you like the idea of doing history instead of physics then go for it, as it won't really do anything to hurt your chances of getting into medicine.

Thanks for the advice Rob :)
 

rustyedges

Moderator
Moderator
Hey there! :)

I'm yr13 right now, and I'm wondering exactly what kind of student usually gets in to medicine?
I know it's extremely competitive, however does it require a lot of smart thinking (e.g calculus) or just memorisation (e.g biology)?
What are the key attributes which would make you the ideal student and most likely get in?

If you don't do so well in high school (e.g merit endorsement etc) do you still have a good chance of getting in? or is literally all top achiever scholars and excellence endorsers? Do you think people who get merits and achieves have a shot of getting in (e.g work really hard? or is it too late?

Sorry for the long list of questions!

Hey, welcome! :)

There are a few very smart people, but for the most part you don't need to be super clever to learn medicine- it's mostly just learning a lot of things, rather than difficult things. A lot of people in medicine did do well in school, but there is still plenty of people who didn't do so well in school and got in, and vice versa.

If you go in and work hard enough, there's no reason you can't get in too.
 

Rob

House Officer
Emeritus Staff
Hey there! :)

I'm yr13 right now, and I'm wondering exactly what kind of student usually gets in to medicine?
I know it's extremely competitive, however does it require a lot of smart thinking (e.g calculus) or just memorisation (e.g biology)?
What are the key attributes which would make you the ideal student and most likely get in?

If you don't do so well in high school (e.g merit endorsement etc) do you still have a good chance of getting in? or is literally all top achiever scholars and excellence endorsers? Do you think people who get merits and achieves have a shot of getting in (e.g work really hard? or is it too late?

Sorry for the long list of questions!

Welcome to MSO :). There is quite a variety of people who make it into medicine. I was pretty average at Calculus, and only got Merit endorsement in NCEA. Calculus is not at all important for getting into medicine (at least at Auckland) and NCEA marks don't mean anything once you get into first year. As rusty says, being smart isn't all that important - the content that you need to learn to get good marks in first year isn't all that hard. If you can develop good study and test-taking methods and put the work in, getting into medicine is definitely achievable.
 

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